Spring Arts: Art

January 29, 2012|By Edward J. Sozanski, Contributing Art Critic
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  • Van Gogh's "Iris" (1889), from the Art Museum's survey of his still lifes and landscapes, "Van Gogh Up Close."
Van Gogh's "Iris" (1889), from the Art Museum's survey of his…
  • Van Gogh's "Iris" (1889), from the Art Museum's survey of his still lifes and landscapes, "Van Gogh Up Close."
  • "The Large Bathers" (1906) by Paul Cezanne.
  • "Shenandoah Jazz #3," by Wilmington's Mary Page Evans, in Delaware Art Museum show.
  • "Woman in Red Dress" by William J. Glackens, from "PAFA and Dr. Barnes."
  • "Moth 5 (still)" by Jennifer Steinkamp, "Three California Artists," at the Fabric Workshop and Museum.
  • Tina Turner by Henry Diltz in "Who Shot Rock and Roll" in Allentown.
  • "Circles of Diamonds" by Elaine Kurtz, Woodmere Art Museum.

The most exciting art season in years is upon us, with the opening this weekend at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts of a major survey of Henry Ossawa Tanner's landmark career and an exhibition of Vincent van Gogh's nature paintings just around the corner at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The Art Museum will follow van Gogh with another monumental subject: how three artistic giants - Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, and Paul Gauguin - responded to the timeless subject of Arcadia with epic canvases.

The biggest news, though, will be the opening of the new Barnes Foundation gallery on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on May 19. The long-anticipated event will end years of controversy over relocation of the fabled collection from its original home in Merion.

Story continues below.

Spring Arts: Rich shows are reason to celebrate

"Van Gogh Up Close" (Philadelphia Museum of Art, Feb. 1-May 6) A survey of the Dutch artist's passion for the natural world through 45 still lifes and landscapes painted during his years in France. (215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org)

"Visions of Arcadia" (Philadelphia Museum of Art, June 20-Sept. 3) Masterpieces by Cezanne, Matisse, and Gauguin explore the theme of earthly paradise. (215-763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org)

"Treasures from the Uffizi Gallery" (James A. Michener Art Museum, April 21-Aug. 10) The work of major Renaissance painters comes to Doylestown in this loan show from the Italian museum. (215-340-9800 or www.michenerartmuseum.org)

"Who Shot Rock & Roll" (Allentown Art Museum, Feb. 11-May 13) A photographic catalog of some of the biggest names in popular music over the last 50 years. (610-432-4333 or www.allentownartmuseum.org)

"PAFA and Dr. Barnes" (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, April 7-July 8) This show looks at the connections between the founder of the Barnes Foundation and the city's oldest art school and museum. (215-972-7600 or www.pafa.org)

Elaine Kurtz (Woodmere Art Museum, Feb. 17-April 22) A retrospective featuring Kurtz's geometric abstractions of the 1970s and layered ones of the 1990s. (215-247-0476 or www.woodmereartmuseum.org)

"The Happy Show" (Institute of Contemporary Art, April 4-Aug. 12) Designer Stefan Sagmeister blends typography and imagery to transform ordinary material like chairs and coat hangers. (215-898-7108 or www.icaphila.org)

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